Essay about The Effectiveness of Sex Appeal in Advertisement

The Effectiveness of Sex Appeal in Advertisement Sex is everywhere. Its in every magazine, on every television station, and in every movie. Sex appears in advertisements for everything from shoes to food to computers. It is understandable why advertisers use sex appeal since it sets their ads apart from the countless others. Ads with sex can be more memorable, but sometimes too much sex overpowers the ad, drawing attention away from the brand. Overdone sex appeal can offend the target audiences, therefore causing the ad to be ineffective. Sex in advertising also tends to stereotype women and be bias towards men. Overall sex appeal can be effective if used in the correct context, but can also render the ad ineffective if†¦show more content†¦Other studies state that sex appeal in advertising is also effective in eliciting fantasy (Richmond and Hartman 1982). In their research Latour, Pitts, and Snook-Luther (1990) found a positive relationship between the arousal evoked by sex appeal in ads and evaluations of the br and. Another study shows that sex appeal enhances brand recall only if it is used in an appropriate way (Richmond and Hartman 1982). While sex can be an effective tool in advertising, it also can be counterproductive. Many consumers become so focused on the use of sex in the ad that they ignore the brand name, thus producing the opposite of the desired result. Reichert, Heckler, and Jackson (2001) found that when sexual stimulus is used in advertising the viewers attention is directed towards the sexual information in the ad rather than the brand. One study suggests that sex appeal overwhelms the message of the ad and is negatively correlated to recall and persuasion (Stewart and Furse 2000). The extensive use of sex appeal in ads also tends to stereotype women as well as distorting societys idea of how women should look. Some advertising executives see the use of sex appeal as mens desperate attempt to make their advertising break through the clutter (Vranica 2003). Sex in advertisements tends to focus on women with their target audience being men, forgetting about the major consumer demographic women mak e up. Overall it is understandable whyShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes Sex For Advertising So Appealing?1674 Words   |  7 Pages Sex is a very controversial subject that normally attracts a lot of attention, which forces it be extremely exploitable for attention craved advertisement creators. Sex can be defined as ways to gain consumers attention (Belch Belch 2007). What makes sex in advertising so special? Why is sex so appealing to consumers? Sexual appeal can be characterized as an emotional trigger. Sex can be construed as the soul of advertising. 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